The objective of the present study was to assess the effective thermal conductivity of the hair coat (kef, mW.m-1.K-1) of Holstein cows in a tropical environment, as related to conduction and radiation in the absence of free convection. The average kef was 49.72 mW.m-1.K-1, about twice the conductivity of the air (26 mW.m-1.K-1) and much less than that of the hair fibres (260 mW.m-1.K-1). The low kef values were attributed mainly to the small cross area of individual hairs, ρef/ρf (17.2% and 21.3% for black and white hairs, respectively). White coats were denser, with longer hairs and significantly higher kef (53.15 mW.m-1.K-1) than that of the black hairs (49.25 mW.m-1.K-1). The heritability coefficient of the effective thermal conductivity was calculated as h2=0.18 the possibility was discussed of selecting cattle for increased heat transfer through the hair coat.


A polymer distributed feedback (DFB) laser was fabricated by two-beam interference from MEH-PPV film on clear glass substrate. A direct-writing technique was reported that achieves large-area 1D DFB polymer lasers. The polymer thin film was exposed to a single-shot illumination of the interference pattern of one UV laser pulse at 355 nm. The direct-writing and the lasing characters of 1D DFB polymer lasers were demonstrated. The results show the lower threshold and full width at half maximum (FWHM) from DFB polymer laser than slab waveguide. The peak position is tuned by changing the period from 340 nm to 350 nm. The results show that the simple and low-cost technique that enables highly reproducible mass fabrication is required for the easy realization and more profound investigation of the polymer lasers based on the DFB configuration.


Apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (AHC) or Yamaguchi syndrome is a variant of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy which primarily involves left ventricular apex. In 1976 Sakamoto described a condition in Japanese patients with giant T waves as asymmetric apical hypertrophy (AAH).[1] Later it was elaborated on by Yamaguchi in 1979.[2] In this case we report a 51 year old male patient with AHC who was referred to the authors erroneously diagnosed as a case of acute coronary syndrome. AHC is a rare form of non-obstructive cardiomyopathy which has characteristic findings on electrocardiography, echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonant imaging. Treating physicians should recognize the typical electrocardiographic changes and differentiate it from the more common and serious diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome.


The use of wireless sensor networks (WSNs) in healthcare is a key issue. These technologies can improve the way patients are monitored in an infirmary or a hospital. The healthcare WSNs (HWSNs) assume the use of WSNs for health support, collecting and send patients' health parameters wirelessly to remote monitoring systems. These applications bring many new challenges to traditional WSNs. These challenges include the continuous support connectivity to mobile nodes. The ability to let patients moving around when hospitalised is important to promote their quality of life. Managing the transitions of access points' attachment when a node moves across several coverage areas is on top of research topics in HWSNs. This paper studies the performance of a new handover mechanism to support intra-mobility of nodes for HWSN, called Hand4MAC. The evaluation is performed through a laboratory testbed and it was compared to the most used handover solutions. The results shown that Hand4MAC is more efficient in number of exchanged messages and it could ensure almost continuous connection to the nodes.


The reproduction biology of Diachasmimorpha longicaudata was studied by construction of experimental population life table of D.longicaudata reared in oriental fruit fly,Bactrocera dorsalis.D.longicaudata had a pro-oviposit period for 1 to 3 days,depending on adult's food and copulation.The peak of reproduction activity appeared in 4 to 10 days after adult emergence,and one female could breed about 125 offspring,however,the number of daily parasitized larvae of D.longicaudata was no more than twenty.The net reproduction rate(R0) and intrinsic increase rate(rm) were 44.44 and 0.158 1,respectively.The sex ratio of female to male was close to 2∶1.It was showed that D.longicaudata was released in the ratio(parasitoid∶ fly) of 1∶1,1∶5 and 1∶10 in carambola orchard resulted in parasitisms of 36.01%,12.50% and 5.18%,respectively,in 15 days after releasing.


Liu Chenweng's Ci poetry is full of sorrowful emotion and subjugation of pain,which has close relation with background of the times that Yuan Dynasty has destroyed Song Dynasty.And the sorrowful emotion is also relative to his loyalty.Meanwhile,in the late Southern Song Dynasty Liu Chenweng becomes the most glorious author like Xin Qiji in the style considered from the development of Ci poetry.Compared with other authors living at the same time,his Ci poetry is particularly painful.


MATLAB and Mathematica are the most widely used mathematical programming tools, each with its associated stereotypical advantages over the other. In order to test these stereotypes and determine where these advantages truly lie, a set of low-level benchmarking tests, covering a wide range of numerical and symbolic problems, were constructed and timed in each language. It was determined that Mathematica still enjoys an enormous advantage in the solution of symbolic problems, but MATLAB is better able to import and solve problems which involve large amounts of numerical data.


Complexes of two or more proteins form many, if not most, of the intracellular "machines" that execute physical and chemical work, and transmit information. Complexes can form from stochastic post‐translational interactions of fully formed proteins, but recent attention has shifted to co‐translational interactions in which the most common mechanism involves binding of a mature constituent to an incomplete polypeptide emerging from a translating ribosome. Studies in yeast have revealed co‐translational interactions during formation of multiple major complexes, and together with recent mammalian cell studies, suggest widespread utilization of the mechanism. These translation‐dependent interactions can involve a single or multiple mRNA templates, can be uni‐ or bi‐directional, and can use multi‐protein sub‐complexes as a binding component. Here, we discuss benefits of co‐translational complex assembly including accuracy and efficiency, overcoming hidden interfaces, localized and hierarchical assembly, and reduction of orphan protein degradation, toxicity, and dominant‐negative pathogenesis, all serving to improve cell fitness.


The aim of ICMDME 2012 was to present the latest research results of scientists and engineers, as related to "Machine Design and Manufacturing Engineering". The present peer-reviewed papers are grouped into 3 chapters: Machine Elements and Mechanisms - Design and Analysis; Manufacturing Processes and Systems - Automation and Control; and New Technology in Manufacturing.


A method and apparatus for displaying information relevant to a driver of a vehicle about a current traffic situation by outputting graphic driving advice to assist a driver in performing a driving maneuver, in the transition from a phase of a high-automatic driving mode to a phase of a manual driving mode, the following Steps out of: - detection of information relevant to the driver in the transition from a phase of a highly automatic driving mode to a phase of a manual driving mode, during the phase of the highly automatic driving mode; Storage of the information as currently valid information after the transition; and - display the currently valid information if the driver resumes the driving task in manual driving mode after a phase of the highly automatic driving mode. Information relevant to the driver includes, for example, static and dynamic restricted areas, lane-related speed limit information, lane block information, overtaking prohibition information, temporary lane traffic information.


Mandu has become more increasingly essential and popular. Various types of Mandu are on saleavailable for purchase and are receiving good response from customers. This study explored the buyers' perceptions and their usage behaviors regarding to Mandu. The results showed the followings: 1) The respondents considered Mandu a snack rather than a meal. 2) The perceptions of a meal were different by gender, age, annual income, and number of children. 3) Respondents frequently have consumed frozen Mandu more than handmade Mandu and the type of Mandu consumed differed by age, marriage, occupation and annual income. 4) Respondents generally preferred meat to vegetable for as the stuffing in Mandu and favorite stuffings differed by gender and age. 5) The 'snack factor' was the highest purchasing motive among three factors including 'meal', 'economy' and 'snack' factor. 6) The derived factors for Mandu purchasing attributes were 'safety', 'loyalty/practicality' and 'storage' factor. 'Loyalty/practicality' represented the highest among them and each purchasing attribute differed according to gender, marriage and annual income.


Intraoperative infrainguinal autologous vein graft stenoses are common, and some authors advise revision of these stenoses. But the natural history of these lesions is not clear. This study was undertaken to determine the natural history of duplex-detected intraoperative stenoses with a nonrevision policy. Intraoperative duplex scanning was performed in 46 infrainguinal autologous vein bypasses. The surgeon was blinded for the results of the intraoperative duplex scan and no intraoperative graft revision or modification of the routine postoperative protocol was performed after the duplex scan. Intraoperative duplex parameters and patient and bypass characteristics were correlated with the occurrence of an early graft event (occlusion or revision of a patent graft within 6 weeks postoperatively), which was the study's primary endpoint. Early graft event rate was 37% (17/46). PSV ratio and PSV-max were the only parameters with a significant correlation with the occurrence of an early graft event. An intraoperatively measured PSV ratio of =3.0 was the best predictor of an early graft failure with a sensitivity of 71% (95% CI: 50–83%) and a specificity of 90% (95% CI: 78–97%). In 12 of the 15 (80%) grafts matching this criterion an early graft event occurred, while only 5 (16%) early graft events occurred in the remaining 31 grafts (ie, a negative predictive value of 84%). When a PSV ratio of =3.0 was used as a cutoff value to predict early postoperative graft events, the likelihood ratios for a positive and negative test result were respectively 6.82 (95% CI: 2.23–20.8) and 0.33 (95% CI: 0.16–0.69). Unrevised intraoperative duplex-detected stenoses in infrainguinal autologous vein graft stenoses are a serious threat to early graft patency. The presence of an intraoperatively detected graft stenosis with a PSV ratio =3.0 is a strong predictor of early graft failure.


Not too long ago, the internet has been primarily used by people as a means of accessing information which they use for various fields and applications. Traditionally, persons acted as consumers of information available on the internet thanks to its speed and ease of access. With the advent of blogging and the booming of social networking sites, the way the internet has been used has started to change as well. People are no longer merely consumers of information, but they also become producers of information which they share in a virtual community, linked together in a web site of a social networking platform. While before, people were content with "listening" to what others had to say, now people are more enthusiastic about "speaking" their opinions on the internet. Freedom of speech has found a new home on the internet and this has certainly been good, because it has given everyone an almost equal opportunity with the rest of the world. This freedom has an inherent risk, because the right to free speech also opens up the possibility for it to be used in ways that are deemed harmful and hurtful to others. Taking it from the cue of Pope John Paul II, the question about the just use of freedom must be given consideration. While people have a right to speak and be heard, is this right devoid of any ethical responsibility? Given that social networking sites are instruments created by man, does it have a purpose other than the mere extension of one's freedom? This paper seeks to reflect on the current situation of man and his use of the internet vis-à-vis Pope Benedict XVI's message for the 45th World Communications Day by focusing on the moral dimension on the use of the internet.


In this paper, we present a data ow-based lenient implementation of a functional language, Valid, on conventional multi-processors. A dataow execution scheme o ers a good basis to execute in a highly concurrent way a large number of ne grain function instances, created during the execution of a functional program. The lenient execution and split-phase operation will overlap the idle time caused by remote memory access and remote calls. However, it is necessary to reduce the overhead to handle negrain parallelism on conventional multi-processors with no special hardware for ne-grain data/messageow processing. We discuss compilation issues of data ow-based implementation and runtime systems to support ne-grain parallel execution on two di erent types of conventional multi-processor: a shared-memory multi-processor, Sequent Symmetry S2000, and a distributed-memory multi-processor, Fujitsu AP1000. We also show the preliminary evaluation of our implementation. Keyword Codes: D.1.1; D.1.3; D.3.4


Second harmonic generation in planar microcavities is theoretically investigated and a new structure is proposed in order to achieve enhancement of the nonlinear process taking advantage of double resonance. In this case, both the pump and the harmonic field are resonant to photonics modes of the microcavity and a quasi-phase matching condition is satisfied simultaneously. The second harmonic generated intensity grows exponentially with the number of periods N in the dielectric mirrors as it happens for a single resonant microcavity. Example are given for AlGaAs/Alox dielectric mirrors where all the calculations are performed taking into account the material dispersion and neglecting the pump depletion.


The invention relates to a process method and a device for producing high-purity methyl acetate, in particular to a process for preparing the high-purity methyl acetate by adopting a reaction rectifying tower with a combination of a solid mass transfer column plate and a catalyzer. The process method comprises the following steps of separation, extraction, rectification and methanol reclaiming of the methyl acetate; acetic acid is added from the upper part of the reaction rectifying tower; methanol is added from the bottom of the reaction rectifying tower; the methyl acetate with high purity is obtained from the top of the reaction rectifying tower and added into a refining tower from the middle part of the refining tower; material in the top of the reaction rectifying tower returns to the reaction rectifying tower; and a finished product of the methyl acetate is extracted from the bottom of the reaction rectifying tower; the material in the bottom of the reaction rectifying tower enters the middle lower part of a reclaiming tower; and the material in the top of the reclaiming tower returns to the reaction rectifying tower. In the invention, the liquid holdup amount of the column plate is obviously improved; the height of a supernatant liquid layer of the column plate can be arbitrarily adjusted in a range of between 20 and 400 mm in order to meet the requirement of the reaction rectifying tower on the liquid holdup amount. Simultaneously, in the height range of the liquid layer, the pressure drop of a monolayer column plate is less than 0.6 KPa. As the conversion rate of a single tower is obviously improved, the methyl acetate with the purity more than or equal to 99.5 percent can be obtained in the bottom of the refining tower.


LMC X-3 and Cyg X-2 show large-amplitude X-ray fluctuations that have been attributed to a warped accretion disk. Cyg X-3 displays high-amplitude, apparently nonperiodic oscillations. We reanalyze these systems using RXTE ASM data and time-frequency decomposition techniques. We find that the long-term variations in Cyg X-2 can be completely characterized by excursions whose durations are integer multiples of the orbital period, including one essentially identical to the reported "period" of 78 days. Cyg X-3 can be characterized in terms of integer multiples of a 71 day fundamental period, unrelated to the 4.8 day orbital period, but suggestively close to the ≳60 day reported precession period of the relativistic jet inferred from recent radio observations. The long-term excursions of LMC X-3 are related to each other by rational fractions, suggesting the characteristic timescale is 10.6 days, shorter than any observed excursion to date. We explore the phase-space evolution of the light curves, using a natural embedding, and find that all three systems possess two rotation centers that organize the phase-space trajectories, one of low luminosity and the other of high luminosity. The implications of this repeatable behavior on generic models of accretion disk dynamics and mass transfer variability are explored.


It is thus safe to say that the periodical Thought and Epoch is not only of epoch-breaking significance in the history of thought in modern China but also plays a crucial role as a medium for disseminating new ideas at that time. Yet while the periodical should be accorded an important position in the history of modern Chinese thought, if we examine Thought and Epoch in the context of the 1940s and compare the periodical with its contemporary counterparts, such as Critical Review [Xueheng] and Observer [Guancha], there appear to be grounds for concluding that the activities and influence of the scholars involved with Thought and Epoch were limited to academic circles. In other words, they failed to construct an influential network. Their staunchly upheld tenet of ''humanism in a scientific era'' corresponded to the ideology of the Nationalist Party, which more or less restricted the influence the periodical and its creators could exert on society and even on academic circles. As the present book states, no essay containing politically sensitive elements would be accepted for publication in this periodical. In such circumstances if the Thought and Epoch group wished to influence politicians, they had no choice but to provide suggestions in the vain hope of building an enlightened and orderly political administration from top down. In practical terms, how could good intentions of this nature possibly be realised in the 1940s, when the Chinese Communist Party and Nationalist Party were locked in a struggle for state power and the whole of China was in chaos? Under these circumstances, the periodical and its creators, holding high the banner of ''humanism in a scientific era,'' could hardly avoid looking like an anachronism. Yet their valiant undertaking should not be overlooked. In a more orderly and enlightened epoch, their efforts would surely have yielded results.


In this paper, I employ a 'bottom-up' approach to analyze efforts to curb exurban sprawl in cross-national perspective. Based on local housing and environmental data in a total of eleven French, German, and US urban regions, the analysis demonstrates that policies and institutions addressed to urban governance made more of a difference for outcomes than did federalism and other aspects of vertical integration at the heights of national states. This result highlights the importance both of local policy determinations and of the supralocal institutional infrastructures in which they nest.


Part 1 Law & Politics Chapter 2 Michel Foucault and the Obsolescent State: Between the American Century and the Dawn of the European Union Chapter 3 The Immanence of Law in Power: Reading Foucault with Agamben Chapter 4 The Hybrid Character of "Control" in the Work of Michel Foucault Part 5 Politics & Culture Chapter 6 No "Copper Tops" Left Behind: Foucault, The Matrix, and the Future of Compulsory Schooling Chapter 7 It Does Too Matter: Michel Foucault, John Coltrane, and Dominant Positions Part 8 Psychiatry Chapter 9 Foucault and Psychiatric Power after Madness & Civilization Chapter 10 From Psychiatry to Bio-Politics or the Birth of the Bio-Security State Part 11 Health Care Chapter 12 Genetic Responsibility and Neo-Liberal Governmentality: Medical Diagnosis as Moral Technology Chapter 13 The Problem with High Maintenance Bodies or The Politics of Care Part 14 The French Context Chapter 15 Subverting Social Order: Foucault and Derrida on the Role of the Intellectual


The modulation of histamine neuron activity by various non‐competitive NMDA‐receptor antagonists was evaluated by changes in tele‐methylhistamine (t‐MeHA) levels and histidine decarboxylase (hdc) mRNA expression induced in rodent brain. The NMDA open‐channel blockers phencyclidine (PCP) and MK‐801 enhanced t‐MeHA levels in mouse brain by 50–60%. Ifenprodil, which interacts with polyamine sites of NR2B‐containing NMDA receptors, had no effect. PCP also increased hdc mRNA expression in the rat tuberomammillary nucleus. The enhancement of t‐MeHA levels elicited by MK‐801 (ED50 of ∼0.1 mg/kg) was observed in the hypothalamus, cerebral cortex, striatum and hippocampus. Control t‐MeHA levels and the t‐MeHA response to MK‐801 were not different in male and female mice. Double immunostaining for HDC and NMDA receptor subunits showed that histamine neurons of the rat tuberomammillary nucleus express NMDA receptor subunit 1 (NR1) with NMDA receptor subunit 2A (NR2A) and NMDA receptor 2B subunit (NR2B). In addition, immunoreactivity for the neuronal glutamate transporter EAAC1 was observed near most histaminergic perikarya. Hence, these findings support the existence of histamine/glutamate functional interactions in the brain. The increase in histamine neuron activity induced by NMDA receptor antagonists further suggests a role of histamine neurons in psychotic disorders. In addition, the decrease in MK‐801‐induced hyperlocomotion observed in mice after administration of ciproxifan further strengthens the potential interest of H3‐receptor antagonist/inverse agonists for the symptomatic treatment of schizophrenia.


Renewed interest in computer architecture education in our university started three years ago. Since then, research framework in computer architecture has been established with emphasis on simulation of different computer architecture concepts. One of the concepts, which have generated a lot of excitement, is the topic on pipelining. Our research group had already developed a pipeline simulator based on the DLX architecture called DARC [1]. The simulator was used as a supplementary tool for both undergraduate and graduate students. It was received favorably and at the same time, they gave feedbacks and suggestions on improving the simulator. With those suggestions, DARC2, the 2nd generation pipeline simulator based on DLX architecture was developed. This paper describes the DARC2 system.


Objective To investigate the inducement,phase,attack rate and outcome of the hemorrhagic fever with renal syndromes(HFRS) complicated by multiple organ failure(MOF).Methods To analyse retrospectively the inducement,phase,number and frequency of involved organ in 110 patients with HFRS complicated by MOF in recent 23 years.Results The incidence of HFRS complicated by MOF was 8.8% and the fatality rate was 39.1%,the prime inducement was hemorrhage,the phase was in no uresis and the kidney was prone to lesion.Conclusion In order to decrease the incidence and the death rate of MOF,increase the cure rate of MOF,the principle such as early finding,eary rest,early diagnose should be emphasized,and to treat and prevent shock,hemorrhage water-electrolytes balance and secondary infection in time.


The Holcim and Lafarge merger case is significant as two globally-leading cement producers obtained early-stage regulatory approval from the European Commission due to a comprehensive large-scale set of pre-emptive remedies. This case shows that it is possible to achieve early-stage regulatory approval even for transactions of enormous scale if the merger parties address all competition concerns up-front through a credible, clear-cut and all-embracing package of remedies. Lafarge and Holcim faced a rapidly changing global cement market characterised by overcapacity in industry and overcame the problem of unprofitable investments by creating a powerful position for the merged company within the industry. The two private sector protagonists were able to build process trust and a common approach to the task enabling the merger to proceed.


With constantly expansion of companies, more and more woks on communication become the managers' top issue. It is urgent to use computer technology to improve work efficiency and achieve of information sharing as much as possible. The managers need a platform to keep their information updated real-time, statistics tasks information at any necessary times, and the staff also need platform to record the task process, make schedule to alarm. Therefore, ASP.NET-based task management information system is designed and implemented. The system is developed with Visual Studio 2005 and SQL Server 2005, including task management module, file management module, schedule management module and background management module. With running in practical, it is proved that the system improved working efficiency greatly and implemented work information sharing effectively..


A study investigated the effects of four writing strategies on fifth graders' idea production across three aims of discourse (informative, expressive, and persuasive) and the effect of gender. The four strategies tested were clustering, drawing, freewriting, and thinking. More than 100 children from varied socioeconomic backgrounds and ethnic groups in each of the 4fifth grade, public school classrooms participated in the study which took place in a southwestern suburban city. All members of a given class used the same strategy: Visible Drawers drew before writing their compositions; Think Timers did no overt planning, but were asked to recall and think about what they knew and might write about their topics; Freewriters produced a draft by writing continuously and as rapidly as possible throughout prewriting sessions; and Clusterers selected keywords or phrases to represent their topics. After strategy training, each student wrote three compositions--an expressive, an informative, and a persuasive. Compositions were scored. Data were subjected to three tests of statistical significance. All three tests indicated that Freewriters and Clusterers produced significantly more written propositions than were produced by Visible Drawers and Think Timers. However, in no case was the numerical difference between scores of these two least productive groups found to be statistically significant. Data also indicated that fifth graders can write for a variety of aims, though they tended to produce the greatest number of written ideas when writing informative papers and the fewest for persuasive. Strategies were equal for male and female. (NKA) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. The Effects of Four Writing Strategies on Fifth Graders' Production of Written Ideas Across Three Aims of Discourse. by Elaine Danielson Fowler BEST COPY AVAILABLE 2 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. I 0 Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) ii The Effects of Four Writing Strategies on Fifth Graders' Production of Written Ideas Across Three Aims of Discourse. Elaine Danielson Fowler Introduction. Writing can be a tricky business for anyone, but especially for young children. Until the 70's, little attention was paid to what students actually did when they wrote their papers. However, renewed attention resulted after studies were conducted by Britton (1970) and Emig (1971). In her study, Emig interviewed 12th graders as they wrote and studied the prewriting processes that one student used in depth. At the same time, Britton and his colleagues examined 2,000 essays written by British high-school students and found that students' writing processes differed according to the type of writing. Later, Donald Graves (1975) examined young children's writing and found that seven-year-olds, like high-school students, used a variety of strategies as they wrote. He recognized that children appeared to go through three general stages in writing: prewriting, writing and postwriting. As a result of Grave's research, the writing process, as we know it, was identified. The writing process has been defined as a way of looking at writing instruction in which the emphasis is shifted from students' finished products to what students think and do as they write As a result of these important studies on writing processes, teachers all over the United States and elsewhere paid more attention about what their students were doing to produce a final product. Among the important ideas that emerged from these studies was the importance of providing students with strategies for prewriting. Some authorities say that the best thing writers can do is spend time and energy thinking about their topic before they start putting pen to paper or fingers to keyboard. Prewriting is often neglected, but it is crucial. According to Donald Murray (1982), 70% or more of writing time should be spent in prewriting. As a result, teachers at all educational levels--elementary through college--have provided students with various concrete, specific strategies to try such as clustering, free writing, interviewing, listing, drawing, brainstorming, A student in my graduate class asked me several years ago if any of these strategies had been studied quantitatively in any way. And we agreed that most of the strategies originated from common sense or from observations about what worked or didn't work. Her question resulted in this interesting study. Methodology. This study investigated the effects of four strategies on fifthgraders' idea production across three aims of discourse (informative, expressive and persuasive) and the effect of gender. The four strategies tested were clustering, drawing, freewriting, and thinking. All 100+ children from varied socioeconomic backgrounds and ethnic groups in each of four fifth-grade, public-school classrooms participated in the study which took place in a southwestern, suburban city. The classes were heterogeneous with students randomly assigned to the various teachers. In the study, all members of a given class used the same strategy. Visible Drawers drew before writing their compositions and could see their drawings later as they wrote their compositions. Think Timers did no overt planning, but were asked to recall and think about what they knew and might write about their topic. In effect, Freewriters produced a draft by writing continuously and as rapidly as possible throughout the prewriting sessions inscribing as many of their topic-related thoughts as possible which they could refer to as needed during the study. Clusterers selected a keyword (or a short phrase) to represent their topic, wrote it in the center of a blank sheet of paper and framed it with an encircling line. Other words or phrases presenting related ideas of phenomena then were written the space around the keyword encircled and connected to related ideas with a line. After being taught their respective strategy and to write for various aims, the students each wrote three compositions: an expressive, an informative and a persuasive composition. One researcher was responsible for supervising all the writing sessions.


A case of a 59-year-old female was admitted to our hospital due to suspected acute myocardial infarction with cardiogenic shock. Her serum levels of cardiac enzymes were slightly elevated and electrocardiography revealed inferior wall ST-segment elevations. Significant coronary artery stenosis was excluded by coronary angiography. A left ventriculogram revealed apical ballooning syndrome or Takotsubo cardiomyopathy. Brain Computed Tomography [CT] scan then disclosed subarachnoid hemorrhage. This rare cardiomyopathy syndrome associated with intracranial hemorrhage was addressed.


In this paper, we find the coefficient bounds using symmetric Toeplitz determinants for the functions belonging to the subclass $R(q)$.


against the incoming American settlers. The evidence seems to indicate that the westward movement and Indian relations deserve more attention than they have been receiving in studies of the origin of the war of 1812. As an illustration, the Secretary of War wrote to Governor Harrison on September 18, 1811: "It is presumed that the british will not be found to have assisted the Indians, otherwise than by having furnished them on their visits to their settlements, with provisions and ammunition, perhaps with arms. In the present delicate posture of our relations with that nation, it is peculiarly desirable that no act should be committed, which may be construed into an aggression on our part." It would also appear that the Prophet's revolt was not entirely unconnected with the outbreak of war in the fol19wing year. R. O. MAcFA•.ANE


Evolutionary algorithms have been applied with great success to the difficult field of multiobjective optimisation. Nevertheless, the need for improvements in this field is still strong. We present a new evolutionary algorithm, ESP (the Evolution Strategy with Probabilistic mutation). ESP extends traditional evolution strategies in two principal ways: it applies mutation probabilistically in a GA-like fashion, and it uses a new hyper-volume based, parameterless, scaling independent measure for resolving ties during the selection process. ESP outperforms the state-of-the-art algorithms on a suite of benchmark multiobjective test functions using a range of popular metrics.


For the purpose of correlation of chemical shifts and geminal coupling constants with stereochemistry a number of compounds of fixed geometry have been synthesized. These include seven 6-substitute...


The nonstationary effects of electrons at 77 K, in the high field saturation region of the MOSFET, are modeled by incorporating an appropriate electron temperature decrease (-/spl Delta/T/sub e/) to the carrier energy, within the framework of a modified lucky electron model. For a thin oxide MOSFET (T/sub cx/=5 nm, L/sub 0/=0.5 /spl mu/m), /spl Delta/T/sub c/ is a function of the electric field in the saturation region, and increases rapidly with drain bias. However, for a thick oxide MOSFET (T/sub cx/=12.5 nm, L/sub g/=5 /spl mu/m), /spl Delta/T/sub e/=280 K is found to adequately describe the impact ionization rate. Our model also explains the crossover of the ionization rates in the thick oxide MOSFET at 77 K and 300 K.


The purpose of the peer tutoring portfolio was twofold. First, it provides the opportunity to research and provide information on the peer tutoring process. Secondly, it indicates the current practices of several peer tutoring programs that are implemented within the province of Newfoundland's school system. The first paper focuses on the development, effectiveness, concerns, and theoretical basis of peer tutoring. The second paper highlights and elaborates on steps necessary for a successful peer tutoring program. The third paper presents and compares the answers to a questionnaire completed by five professionals. Each questionnaire indicates the approach taken to deliver a peer tutoring program in a school system. The topic of peer tutoring was chosen because it is my belief that such a program can become an important and integral part of any school program. Peer tutoring can be one of several instructional opportunities that can be used to help meet the needs of some students. It has become apparent that any school environment needs to offer a variety of strategies to help meet the unique and different needs of each child. One must not forget that strapped economic times have led to reduced spending and fewer professionals to help meet the needs of students. The implementation of a successful peer tutoring program can increase the learning opportunities offered to students when these opportunities would otherwise be reduced because of budget restraints.


We estimated the fault of the 1924 Tanzawa earthquake (Mj7.3), which was the largest aftershock of the 1923 Kanto earthquake (Ms8.2). We could successfully reproduce the observed waveforms in central of Tokyo based on the estimated fault model. This is very important to investigate the characteristics of ground motions by M7 events occurring in the Tokyo Metropolitan area because we only have a few observed waveforms of such events in central Tokyo. Finally, we calculated ground motions around Tokyo metropolitan area by the estimated fault model. The simulated ground motions do not exceed the design spectra around the area but in west of Kanagawa Pref.


The metabolic syndrome (MetS) might contribute to morbidity after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). For this reason, we searched for MetS‐associated risk factors and analyzed the link with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in OLT recipients. De novo MetS affected 32.9% of our cohort (n = 170) within 2 years after OLT. Multivariate analysis identified glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels ≥5% [odds ratio (OR) = 3.5; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.56–8.13, P = 0.003], diabetes mellitus (OR = 4.31, CI = 1.69–10.99, P = 0.002), and arterial hypertension (OR = 4.59, CI = 1.46–14.49, P = 0.009) as independent risk factors for de novo MetS. MetS incidence correlated with steroid dosage after OLT (5.2 ± 2.4 mg/day vs. 7.1 ± 4.7 mg/day, P = 0.014), and was linked to NAFLD (P = 0.001) via obesity (OR = 4.67, CI = 1.55–14.1, P = 0.006) and dyslipidemia (OR = 4.23, CI = 1.35–13.3, P = 0.013) post‐OLT. In conclusion, we were able to identify low threshold HbA1c as a novel risk factor for MetS after OLT and described a link of MetS with NAFLD in transplant organs. This study also indicated that steroid treatment is associated with MetS rates after OLT.


Two species of Brulleiini, 8 species of Diospilini and 6 species of Helconini (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Helconinae) are recognized in this paper. Thirteen species are described as new to science, 3 species are new to the fauna of Taiwan. Keys to the genera and species of the Taiwanese Brulleiini, Diospilini and Helconini are also presented.


The embodiment of the invention provides an exudate collecting device for storing a wound exudate. The exudate collecting device comprises a shell, a dressing connector arranged on the shell and used for connecting with a dressing, and a negative pressure source connector arranged on the shell and used for connecting with a negative pressure source; the exudate collecting device further comprises a sample observation bin arranged in the shell through a rotation assembly and used for storing quantitative wound exudate. Through the sample observation bin of the exudate collecting device provided by the embodiment of the invention, the states of the wound exudate at different stages during the treatment process of a patient, such as the physiological parameters including the viscosity and the color, can be quantitatively observed, wherein the physiological parameters can reflect the current state of the wound of the patient to a certain degree, and thus important treatment auxiliary information is provided for the medical care personnel. The sample observation bin of the exudate collecting device provided by the embodiment of the invention can automatically turn over for pouring out the exudate, and the manual operation is not needed, thus the use is convenient.


Adsorption is one of the important techniques in arsenic removal from aqueous solutions. In this study, the As removal efficiency of Leonardite char by a prepared Leonardite carbonized at 450oC was investigated as a function of solution pH, contact time, kinetic and As(III) or As(V) concentration. The surface complexation modeling was used to describe As(III) and As(V) adsorption on the minerals which found in Leonardite char. In the batch experiment, 10.0 mg/L As(III) or As(V) pH 7.0 and 50 mL of aqueous solution was as high as 90% adsorbed. The results showed that Leonardite char could be used as effective adsorbent for the removal of arsenic from aqueous solution. This research supports effort to water with arsenic level lower than 10 mg/L. The maximum adsorption capacity was calculated by fitting the Langmuir and Freunchlich equations to the adsorption isotherms. The Leonardite char will be used as a low-cost adsorbent, for arsenic ions removal in water.


To determine the main parameters of the effectiveness of the integrated agricultural formations of the region, an evaluation algorithm is proposed, which includes two main stages. At the first stage, the role of large agrarian structures in the agrarian sector of the economy was revealed. The analysis of integration processes in the agricultural sector of the economy of the Rostov region is presented. The economic efficiency of the main types of integration agrarian associations of the Rostov region was investigated. At the second stage, on the basis of a comparative analysis of the effectiveness of the activities of large agricultural formations using the method of groupings depending on the area of agricultural land, the average annual number of workers and the linear matrix algebra method, the optimal size of modern agricultural holding structures of the region is justified. The studies made it possible to establish the relationship between the functional limits of the large agribusiness of the region. In particular, for the current economic conditions of the region, the following were determined: the most effective type of integration associations, their optimal size in terms of area and average number of employees. The conceptual provisions of the proposed algorithm and its practical conclusions can be used by regional authorities in order to form an optimal agricultural structure. Identifying the optimal size of modern integrated formations will contribute to a systematic and sustainable growth in the well-being of rural workers, providing a multiplier effect on the basis of large-scale innovative and technological modernization of agricultural sectors. The proposed matrix model for assessing the effectiveness of the integrated agricultural formations of the region allows us to identify the advantages of agricultural producers of the region of medium size, freely adapting to changing economic conditions and devoid of shortcomings of large integrated formations and the small-format sector.


The unprecedented progress in all fields during the past 30 to 40 years has surpassed all previous successes of mankind. Almost all technical/scientific fields have reached the limit of natural laws. The majority of macroscopic phenomena have been analyzed, well understood and put at the service of man. A substantial amount of progress into the understanding of the microcosmos has also been achieved.


We investigated the superconducting fluctuation in FeSe, which is assumed to be located in the BCS--BEC crossover region, via magnetic torque measurements. In our method, the absolute cantilever displacement is measured by detecting the interference intensity of the Fabry--Perot cavity formed between the cantilever and optical fiber. Our findings are totally different from the results of the previous torque magnetometry using a piezoresistive cantilever; the "giant" fluctuation diamagnetism related to the BCS--BEC crossover does not exist. Instead, a considerably smaller fluctuation signal originating from the vortex liquid was observed that showed a qualitatively similar behavior to those in cuprate superconductors. We also discuss the inconsistency between our torque data and the existence of a pseudogap proposed by an NMR experiment.


The satellite clocks carried on the BeiDou navigation System (BDS) are a self-manufactured hydrogen clock and improved rubidium clock, and their on-orbit performance and stabilities are not as efficient as GPS and Galileo satellite clocks caused of the orbital diversity of the BDS and the complexity of the space operating environment. Therefore, the existing BDS clock product cannot guarantee the high accuracy demand for precise point positioning in real-time scenes while the communication link is interrupted. To deal with this problem, we proposed a deep learning-based approach for BDS short-term satellite clock offset modeling which utilizes the superiority of Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) derived from Recurrent Neural Networks (RNN) in time series modeling, and we call it QPLSTM. The ultrarapid predicted clock products provided by IGS (IGU-P) and four widely used prediction methods (the linear polynomial, quadratic polynomial, gray system (GM (1,1)), and Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) model) are selected to compare with the QPLSTM. The results show that the prediction residual is lower than clock products of IGU-P during 6-hour forecasting and the QPLSM shows a greater performance than the mentioned four models. The average prediction accuracy has improved by approximately 79.6, 69.2, 80.4, and 77.1% and 68.3, 52.7, 66.5, and 69.8% during a 30 min and 1-hour forecasting. Thus, the QPLSTM can be considered as a new approach to acquire high-precision satellite clock offset prediction.


The Internet increasingly serves as a platform for the delivery of health information and its potential use as health information source has been demonstrated across a wide range of conditions (Bennett & Glasgow, 2009). The Internet has been acknowledged as a valuable channel of health promotion, with information in web spread throw static health educational sites, peer support groups, online health consultations and delivery of Internet interventions (Vandelanotte, Spathonis, Eakin, & Owen, 2007). Health information seeking is defined as the purposive acquisition of information from selected information sources to guide health-related decision making (Johnson & Case, 2012). Health information seeking behavior comprehends intentional or active efforts to obtain specific information not found by the normal patterns of media exposure or by interpersonal sources (Atkin, 1973; Griffin, Dunwoody, & Neuwirth, 1999). Lambert and Loiselle (2007) consider two main dimensions when defining the concept of Health information seeking behavior: (1) the information dimension, that emphasizes the characteristics of the information sought, namely the type (content and diversity of the search) and the amount (how much information about a given topic one seeks) and (2) the method dimension, focused on the discretionary actions individual use to obtain health related information and sources of information used (include direct and indirect questioning, asking for clarifications, discussing and exchanging information with others, reading and using information technologies). Considering the information dimension of health information seeking behavior, Weaver et al. (2009) consider the existence of two main groups: one more related to medicine (with high loadings on the medications, illness or disease, treatments and insurance measures) and other related with wellbeing (with high loadings on the exercise and diet measures). Physical Activity (PA) information seeking on the Internet is considered as a sub-level of health information seeking by Pew Surveys (Jones & Fox, 2009). This article intends to present the potentialities, problems and future trends of the use of the Internet and Social Network as Health/ Physical Activity Information Sources


A comprehensive study of object-relational queries gives not only an understanding of full capability of object-relational query language but also a direction for query processing and optimization. This chapter classifies object-relational queries into REF queries, aggregate queries and inheritance queries. REF queries are queries involving REF pointers, whereas aggregation queries use either nested table structures or index on clusters. Finally, inheritance queries are queries on inheritance hierarchies.


To investigate if maternal exposure to psychosocial job strain at work (high demands and low control) measured by questionnaire early in pregnancy (median week 15) is associated with malformations in the offspring.


AES Hawaii, Inc. operates a 203 Megawatt circulating fluidized bed coal and alternative fuel-fired cogeneration facility. A portion of the byproduct fly ash may be used as a concrete admixture. Per AES Hawaii's solid waste management permit (SWMP), composite samples of fly ash are routinely tested for total and leachable metals content. In 2005, several samples exceeded the permit limit for leachable mercury (0.00025 mg/L) determined through the Synthetic Precipitation Leaching Procedure. AES Hawaii prepared a risk evaluation to determine if mercury from fly ash posed an environmental concern when intermixed in concrete products. The primary objectives of the risk evaluation were to: 1) evaluate whether incorporating fly ash into concrete/flowable fill reduces mercury leachability to acceptable levels; and 2) determine if a threshold fly ash content exists that results in unacceptable mercury concentrations in concrete/flowable fill leachates. The study demonstrated that, even in cases where mercury in the raw fly ash exceeds the SWMP limit, no detectable mercury is leachable from the final concrete products containing such fly ash. In addition, since no mercury was detected in leachates, no threshold of fly ash content (up to 90 percent cement replacement) appears to exist where leachable mercury exceeds the applicable risk-based limits. As such, mercury in AES Hawaii fly ash used as an admixture in concrete products does not pose an unacceptable risk to human health or the environment. The Hawaii Department of Health therefore proposed an increased mercury limit for such fly ash from 0.00025 mg/L to 0.0055 mg/L.


The Danube River and its contributors cross nineteen European countries before reaching the West coast of the Black Sea. In the context of the Black Sea drainage basin, the Danube River is the most important source of liquid and solid discharges. The fluvial-marine contact zone is quite large because Danube splits up itself into multiple distributaries across a wide deltaic plain (4,142 km²) shared among Romania and Ukraine. Vast areas of compact reedbeds usually surround the three hundred freshwater lakes of the delta. Many of these shallow lakes are connected to channels or canals providing turbid water from the Danube, while others depend on flood events to be supplied by the turbid waters coming from the river. Important seasonal growth of floating and submerged macrophytes also occurs in the majority of the lakes. Thus, Danube Delta presents a complex hydrosystem which has been greatly modified since the first navigation works in the nineteenth century. Since the beginning of the nineties, the Danube Delta became a Biosphere Reserve (MAB-UNESCO), a RAMSAR site and was included on the list of the World Natural Heritage (UNESCO). Analyzing spatial patterns in complex environments, like Danube Delta and its coastal zone, requires non traditional approaches. Remote sensing multi-sensor techniques offer reliable advantages to observe and understand intricate processes operating on different space-time scales and especially in large areas with difficult and sometimes restricted access (e.g. Biosphere Reserve core areas). The main methodological objective of this thesis was to create a procedure for processing heterogeneous optical satellite images. By studying the Danube Delta area (hydrosystems principally) through different space-time scales, we worked with several types of high and moderate spatial resolution images. Based on Danube water levels, we analyzed 85 satellite images from the period 2006-2009 (52 medium resolution images - MERIS and 33 high resolution images - ALOS AVNIR-2, SPOT HVIR, Landsat TM / ETM+). This main satellite data set was completed with more than sixty "historical" images (1972-2005) acquired with the Landsat sensors (MSS, TM and ETM+). Three distinct, but complementary, approaches were used to process the satellite images. The integrated analysis of the satellite results with hydrological and meteo-oceanographical data series enabled us to bring new elements of explanation about the past and present dynamics of Danube Delta.


It has been demonstrated that glass fibre-reinforced polymer (GFRP) bars is a suitable alternative to traditional steel reinforcement in concrete structures. GFRP bars are a competitive reinforcing option in reinforced concrete members subjected to flexure and shear. GFRP has compelling physical and mechanical properties, corrosion resistance and electromagnetic transparency. The use of GFRP reinforcement is particularly attractive for structures that operate in aggressive environments, such as in coastal regions, or for buildings that host magnetic resonance imaging (MRT) units or other equipment sensitive to electromagnetic fields. However its behaviour under impact loading is not adequately known. This study involved testing a total of twelve GFRP Reinforced Concrete (RC) beams under static and impact loadings and analysing the effect of certain variables including longitudinal reinforcement ratio and concrete strength (normal and high strength). Experimental results confirm that beams with GFRP as internal reinforcement have extremely low post cracking bending stiffness. One noticeable outcome was that, beams subjected to impact loading experienced a "shear plug" type of failure, with shear cracks around the impact zone, even though the beams were designed as flexure-critical. Beams under static loading showed mostly flexural responses with flexural cracks developing until compression failure for the over-reinforced specimens. Disciplines Engineering | Science and Technology Studies Publication Details Goldston, M., Remennikov, A. M. & Sheikh, M. Neaz. (2015). Energy absorption and impact response of GFRP reinforced concrete beams. 3rd International Conference on Protective Structures (ICPS3) (pp. 168-176). Australia: University of Newcastle. This conference paper is available at Research Online: http://ro.uow.edu.au/eispapers/3783 3 International Conference on Protective Structures (ICPS3) Newcastle, Australia, 3-6 February 2015, M.G. Stewart & M.D. Netherton (Eds.) ENERGY ABSORPTION AND IMPACT RESPONSE OF GFRPREINFORCED CONCRETE BEAMS M.W. Goldston School of Civil, Mining and Environmental Engineering, University of Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia. Email: firstname.lastname@example.com A.M. Remennikov* School of Civil, Mining and Environmental Engineering, University of Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia. Email: firstname.lastname@example.com M.N. Sheikh School of Civil, Mining and Environmental Engineering, University of Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia. Email: firstname.lastname@example.com ABSTRACT It has been demonstrated that glass fibre-reinforced polymer (GFRP) bars is a suitable alternative to traditional steel reinforcement in concrete structures. GFRP bars are a competitive reinforcing option in reinforced concrete members subjected to flexure and shear. GFRP has compelling physical and mechanical properties, corrosion resistance and electromagnetic transparency. The use of GFRP reinforcement is particularly attractive for structures that operate in aggressive environments, such as in coastal regions, or for buildings that host magnetic resonance imaging (MRT) units or other equipment sensitive to electromagnetic fields. However its behaviour under impact loading is not adequately known. This study involved testing a total of twelve GFRP Reinforced Concrete (RC) beams under static and impact loadings and analysing the effect of certain variables including longitudinal reinforcement ratio and concrete strength (normal and high strength). Experimental results confirm that beams with GFRP as internal reinforcement have extremely low post cracking bending stiffness. One noticeable outcome was that, beams subjected to impact loading experienced a "shear plug" type of failure, with shear cracks around the impact zone, even though the beams were designed as flexure-critical. Beams under static loading showed mostly flexural responses with flexural cracks developing until compression failure for the over-reinforced specimens.It has been demonstrated that glass fibre-reinforced polymer (GFRP) bars is a suitable alternative to traditional steel reinforcement in concrete structures. GFRP bars are a competitive reinforcing option in reinforced concrete members subjected to flexure and shear. GFRP has compelling physical and mechanical properties, corrosion resistance and electromagnetic transparency. The use of GFRP reinforcement is particularly attractive for structures that operate in aggressive environments, such as in coastal regions, or for buildings that host magnetic resonance imaging (MRT) units or other equipment sensitive to electromagnetic fields. However its behaviour under impact loading is not adequately known. This study involved testing a total of twelve GFRP Reinforced Concrete (RC) beams under static and impact loadings and analysing the effect of certain variables including longitudinal reinforcement ratio and concrete strength (normal and high strength). Experimental results confirm that beams with GFRP as internal reinforcement have extremely low post cracking bending stiffness. One noticeable outcome was that, beams subjected to impact loading experienced a "shear plug" type of failure, with shear cracks around the impact zone, even though the beams were designed as flexure-critical. Beams under static loading showed mostly flexural responses with flexural cracks developing until compression failure for the over-reinforced specimens.


The Young Research forum gives a powerful spot to discussing potential and advancing exploration in any stage, from thought to results. The conversation tries to give a pleasant circumstance to allow energetic experts to get analysis on their work, exchange understanding, present requests, examine pathways open to them. Also, the conversation enlivens collaboration between energetic researchers, experienced investigators and industry. Every maker, despite examiners imperative to their work, will be apportioned a cutting-edge guide who will in like manner overview and propose improvements to their entrances.


Erik Bergman has long been regarded in his native Finland as one of his country's senior composers, but his music has been slow to make its way abroad. Some of the obstacles are understandable: choral music, for instance, constitutes a large slice of Bergman's output, and the fact that many of his texts are in Finnish or Swedish has obviously (if erroneously) been off-putting for foreign choirs. But the real problem is one of perception. Bergman's music has a particular kind of originality and character which, while in one sense typically Scandinavian, simply does not conform to the expectation that has been conditioned by the more exportable aspects of 19th-century nationalism.


Corporate governance is one of the major issues emerging in the capital market. It deals with the agency problem. All firms face agency problems, and in the process of running a growing concern, develop measures to control them. Good corporate governance induces the board and management to work for the better interests of the shareholders. A lot of stress has been given on maintaining high ethical standards, thinking beyond the business, observing transparency for shareholders, bringing independent judgement and accountability from directors. Research shows that implementing best governance practices leads to hike in revenues and positive impact on performance of the companies. Board of directors are considered to be the crucial aspect of corporate governance. Various codes and reports have stressed on the independence of board of directors to bring efficiency in the business operations. Thus, the paper examines the impact of board size and their independence on the corporate performance, taking both book and market value performance measures. The sample of top 100 companies listed on S&P CNX 500 on the basis of market capitalization has been considered. The data for the five years i.e. 2004-05 to 2008-09 has been taken from annual reports of the companies and PROWESS database. The correlation and OLS regression have been applied on the time series data to find the results. The results being controlled for number of variables i.e. size, leverage, beta, ownership, age and nature of chairman. It has been proved that board independence is positively related with all the performance variables, except return on assets, while board size has negative impact on performance measured through price-earning ratio and Tobin's q. Thus, it can be concluded that the current scenario has changed and firms are giving stress on independence of directors rather than having larger boards. Yet, the task of selecting truly independent directors still remains a challenge.


The problem of training of the Russian society to the perception of "special children" continues to be one of the most controversial in the Russian education system. Parents of "special children" and their voluntary organizations play an important role in this process. Initially, parents of children with disabilities were combined for the purpose of mutual aid. These societies were secluded for a long time, in which people fought together with the trouble. Then community of parents became to establish contact with the administrations of schools and individual teachers. They gave some support. In accordance with the new Russian legislation in the teacher`s certification criteria introduced measures for the disabled, inclusive education is encouraged in the classroom. But parents of healthy children and healthy children can resist these innovations. They do not want to study with "special children" together in the same class. Directors of schools are often waiting for the decision of the public. In these circumstances, parents and parents' associations become participants in the events, and involve children in the school work with the disabled. The authors examine the examples of joint meetings, concerts, lessons that allow connecting to "special children". These events are accompanied by a story about citizen's duty, responsibility, love of country and all who dwell in it. There is a condemnation of all forms of discrimination. Thus, in terms of mastering the European values, parents were serious participants in the events that promote an inclusive ideology and corresponding civic and democratic values.


Australia's 1967 referendum gave the Commonwealth power to make laws specifically to benefit Aboriginal people and amended the law which prevented Aboriginal Australians being counted as Australians in any census. The referendum was carried in all states with a vote of 90.77 per cent in favour. To commemorate the fortieth anniversary of this historic vote, Jackie Huggins addressed The Sydney Institute on Tuesday 22 May 2007. The author discusses the people involved and the event leading up to the decision to hold the referendum. Reconciliation between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people in Australia since 1967 including events like the Bridge Walk in Sydney in 2000 are explored.


An extensive study using the ESEM (Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy) technique has been performed on wood objects in order that the particular advantages, possibilities and limitations of this microscopic tool are being assessed. The aim of this report is to present the valuable experience gained in optimizing operational and imaging conditions in ESEM during studies on wood and painted wood.


Review of internal over-voltages in distribution networks 6…10 kV and means of their limitation has been carried out. One of the most efficient remedy for reduction of over-voltage at arcing ground is resistive neutral grounding. In order to estimate an influence of a nonlinear over-voltage limiter (NOL) on over-voltage reduction at ground an experimental research of varistor characteristics with 2,4 and 3,8 kHz frequencies has been carried out. Parameters of the NOL dynamic model have been determined. The main peculiar feature of the model is an account of m- lag time constant. A mathematical modeling of transitional processes in distribution networks with NOL has been made. Over-voltages in the calculative experiment at arcing ground for load diagram have accounted for 3.2 Uf, that corresponds to the results of field tests.


In the data mining field, data representation turns out to be one of the major factors affecting mining algorithm scalability. Mining Frequent Itemsets (MFI) is a data mining problem that is heavily affected by this fact. The vertical approach is one of the successful data representations adopted for MFI problem. The main advantage of this approach is support for fast frequency counting via joining operations. Recently, an encoding method called prime-encoding is proposed as an enhancement for the vertical approach [10]. The performance study introduced in [10] confirmed the high quality of prime-encoding based vertical mining of frequent sequence over other vertical and horizontal ones in terms of space and time. Though sequence mining is more general than itemset mining, this paper presents a prime-encoding based vertical mining of frequent itemsets with new optimizations and a new re-encoding method that further enhance memory and speed. The experimental results show that prime encoding based vertical itemset mining is suitable for high-dimensional sparse data.


Microwave radiometer observations are compared with various radiative transfer model calculations based on simultaneous radiosondes. This analysis uses observations from Payeme, Switzerland, in cloud free conditions during the Temperature Humidity and Cloud (TUC) experiment in winter 2003/04. The results show a systematic bias in the brightness temperatures measured by the Radiometrics profiler at 55-59 GHz, which has since been corrected in the control software. Observations at lower frequencies (22-30 GHz) in these cold conditions do not support recent proposed changes to the width of the 22.235 GHz water vapour line, although this is subject to the assumption of no residual bias in the radiosonde humidity. At intermediate frequencies (51-54 GHz), the absorption models produce large differences, which may be due to differences in oxygen line coupling and highlight the need for further laboratory measurements at low temperatures.


Objective . To determine whether MPO contributes to oxidative stress and disease activity in RA and whether it produces hypochlorous acid in SF. Methods . Plasma and where possible SF were collected from 77 RA patients while 120 healthy controls supplied plasma only. MPO and protein carbonyls were measured by ELISAs. 3-Chlorotyrosine in proteins and allantoin in plasma were measured by mass spectrometry. Results. Plasma MPO concentrations were significantly higher in patients with RA compared with healthy controls [10.8 ng/ml, inter-quartile range (IQR): 7.2 (cid:2) 14.2; P < 0.05], but there was no significant difference in plasma MPO protein concentrations between RA patients with high disease activity (HDA; DAS-28 > 3.2) and those with low disease activity (LDA; DAS-28 4 3.2) (HDA 27.9 ng/ml, 20.2 (cid:2) 34.1 vs LDA 22.1 ng/ml, 16.9 (cid:2) 34.9; P > 0.05). There was a significant relationship between plasma MPO and DAS-28 ( r = 0.35; P = 0.005). Plasma protein carbonyls and allantoin were significantly higher in patients with RA compared with the healthy controls. MPO protein was significantly higher in SF compared with plasma (median 624.0 ng/ml, IQR 258.4 (cid:2) 2433.0 vs 30.2 ng/ml, IQR 25.1 (cid:2) 50.9; P < 0.0001). The MPO present in SF was mostly active. 3-Chlorotyrosine, a specific biomarker of hypochlorous acid, was present in proteins from SF and related to the concentration of MPO ( r = 0.69; P = 0.001). Protein carbonyls in SF were associated with MPO protein concentration ( r = 0.40; P = 0.019) and 3-chlorotyrosine ( r = 0.66; P = 0.003). Conclusion. MPO is elevated in patients with RA and promotes oxidative stress through the production of hypochlorous acid.


Functionalist approaches study translation from a new angle and give directions on how to translate.It stresses on translation purpose and gives consideration to both the authors,translators and readers.Evaluating the Chinese Version of Uncle Tom's Cabin by Lin Shu from the perspective of Functionalist approaches can probe into the endeavor of Lin Shu in Chinese literature and cultural development,and reconsider the value of Lin Shu's Chinese version.This version is accomplished under special historical context,under the control of the specific translation purposes,by adopting a particular translation strategy.It achieved the desired translation purpose in a better way,and so its success is worthy of recognition.


Based on real language data,this paper studies the formation and mechanism of sentence pattern like "ta de laoshi dangdehao"(他的老师当得好) and tries to reveal the motivation behind this phenomeno n.It points out that this kind of sentence is formed by inserting "de"(的) and deleting the first verb from the sentence which contains two identical verbs,for example,"ta dang laoshi dangdehao" (他当老师当的好).This may be viewed as a process of analogical blending and the major motivation is the economic principle of languag e.


The assessment of a patient's home readiness is an important element in ambulatory surgery. No objective scoring system exists which systematically determines home readiness. A new postanaesthetic discharge scoring system (PADSS) has been designed and evaluated for reliability and validity against the existing clinical discharge criteria (CDC) in the ambulatory surgery unit of the hospital. Two hundred and forty-seven ambulatory surgery patients undergoing general anaesthesia were studied. Overall, there was a close correlation between the end of anaesthesia to the time patients were fit for discharge using either the PADSS or the CDC (Pearson's correlation coefficient r = 0.89). The internal consistency reliability of the PADSS (LZ = 0.65) was superior to that of the CDC (a = 0.14). The interobserver reliability coefficients of the PADSS at 1 .O and 1.5 h post surgery was also superior to the CDC for the dilatation and curettage patients. We have validated the PADSS against the CDC and found it to have superior measurement scaling and diagnostic properties.


We discuss the local structure of the net of von Neumann algebras generated by a representation of a local gauge group . Our discussion is independent of the singularity of spectral measures, which has been discussed by many authors since the pioneering work of Gelfand–Graev–Versic. We show that, for type (S) operators UA,b, second quantized operators with some twists, the commutativity only with those U(ψ) is sufficient for the triviality of them, where ψ belongs to an arbitrary (small) neighborhood of constant function 1. Some properties of 1-cocycles for the representation V : ψ ↦ Adψ are also discussed.


Managers, in particular, need to understand the dynamics of power and influence in their organizations, yet very few training designs or strategies are available that facilitate the process. The few approaches that are available tend to be abstract and conceptual rather than specific and behavioral. This article discusses an activity in which participants are asked to identify organizational situations in which they have tried to "get their way" with superiors, peers, or subordinates. Participants are then asked to write brief essays on (1) what they wanted, (2) what they did, (3) whether they experienced resistance from the other person, and (4) what further influence strategies they used. Participants, working in pairs, score each other's essays by using a form that includes an analysis of the tactics. Each dyad then discusses the relationship between the status of the person being in fluenced, the nature of the demand, and the tactics involved. Suggestions for using this design are provided.


The ionomer content in catalyst layers has a marked influence on direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) performance. In an anode which contains unsupported PtRu as the catalyst, the recast ionomer may not always be necessary because the protonic conductivity of hydrous RuOx, the presence of which is inferred from the X-ray diffraction pattern, may be sufficient to allow effective utilization of catalyst sites. To examine interpenetration of catalyst and membrane material as a possible explanation for the lack of an apparent need of added ionomer, ultramicrotomed thin sections of the membrane-electrode assembly (MEA) were examined by scanning electron microscopy. Microscopic examination of such MEA cross sections revealed significant porosity in layers made by mixing unsupported catalysts with recast ionomer. Images of such sections did not reveal significant interpenetration, supporting the interpretation that hydrous RuOx may by itself provide sufficient protonic conductivity in PtRu catalyst layers prepared with no added ionomer. In contrast they show that the presence of recast ionomer in DMFC cathodes based on unsupported Pt as the catalyst is essential for optimum DMFC performance, because the recast ionomer is the primary source of protonic conductivity in the latter case. Having shown its potential function as proton conductor, theymore » stress that Ru oxide is apparently not the key for maximizing DMFC anodic activity.« less


Automatic image segmentation and object extraction play an important role in supporting content-based image coding, indexing, and retrieval. However, the low-level visual homogeneity critical (like color, texture, intensity, and so on) for segmentation do not lead to semantic objects directly because a semantic object can contain totally different gray levels, color, or texture. We propose an automatic model-based semantic object extraction algorithm by integrating object seeds with their region constraint graphs (perceptual models). Images are first partitioned into a set of homogeneous regions with accurate boundaries by integrating the results obtained by similarity-based region growing and edge detection procedures. We propose a 1-D fast entropic thresholding technique for determining the thresholds used in region growing and edge detection automatically. The object seeds, which are the intuitive and representative parts of semantic objects, are then distinguished from these homogeneous image regions. A seeded region aggregation procedure is used for merging the adjacent regions of a detected object seed to give a semantic object according to the perceptual model of the object. We focus on semantic human object generation by taking faces as object seeds and using a ratio-based perceptual model.


In many parts of sub-Saharan Africa, subsistence agriculture is characterized by significant fluctuations in yield and production due to variations in moisture availability to staple crops. Widespread drought can lead to crop failures, with associated deterioration in food security. Ground data collection networks are sparse, so methods using geospatial rainfall estimates derived from satellite and gauge observations, where available, have been developed to calculate seasonal crop water balances. Using conventional crop production data for 4 years in Ethiopia (1996–1999), it was found that water-limited and water-unlimited growing regions can be distinguished. Furthermore, maize growing conditions are also indicative of conditions for sorghum. However, another major staple, teff, was found to behave sufficiently differently from maize to warrant studies of its own.


We study the convergence properties of an alternating proximal minimization algorithm for nonconvex structured functions of the type: L(x,y)=f(x)+Q(x,y)+g(y), where f and g are proper lower semicontinuous functions, defined on Euclidean spaces, and Q is a smooth function that couples the variables x and y. The algorithm can be viewed as a proximal regularization of the usual Gauss-Seidel method to minimize L.

We work in a nonconvex setting, just assuming that the function L satisfies the Kurdyka-Łojasiewicz inequality. An entire section illustrates the relevancy of such an assumption by giving examples ranging from semialgebraic geometry to "metrically regular" problems.

Our main result can be stated as follows: If L has the Kurdyka-Łojasiewicz property, then each bounded sequence generated by the algorithm converges to a critical point of L. This result is completed by the study of the convergence rate of the algorithm, which depends on the geometrical properties of the function L around its critical points. When specialized to $Q(x,y)=\Vert x-y \Vert ^2$ and to f, g indicator functions, the algorithm is an alternating projection mehod (a variant of von Neumann's) that converges for a wide class of sets including semialgebraic and tame sets, transverse smooth manifolds or sets with "regular" intersection. To illustrate our results with concrete problems, we provide a convergent proximal reweighted l1 algorithm for compressive sensing and an application to rank reduction problems.


Nowadays, the Fabry–Perot etalon (F–P) has been widely utilized in the optical parametric oscillator (OPO) to improve the filtering performance. In this paper, we reported an F–P etalon composed of two ultra-thin silicon wafers spaced with the air. The linewidth of the signal laser and the threshold are 0.03 nm and 0.6 W, respectively when the proposed etalon is employed to a OPO system based on the MgO-doped LiNbO3 (MgO: PPLN). A stabilized output at 1492.4 nm is obtained, and a tunable, high-precision filtering performance can be achieved by varying the gap distance of the F–P etalon arbitrarily due to its ultra-thin thickness. In addition, the F–P etalon can work on a very wide bandwidth due to its weak absorption during the infrared and terahertz waveband. The high-precision tuning capability and wide-band function of proposed etalon may benefit many applications, including spectroscopy, filtering, and optical communication.


The method of one kind of low protein extract prepared using a small trash, which material after pretreatment, enzymatic hydrolysis, bitter off, to the residue, degreased, concentrated aroma Maillard reaction, drying refining processes. The present invention uses enzymes and proteins within the protein mild exonuclease digestion, and enzymatically debittering debittered hydrolyzate addition, with the Maillard reaction technology improves the taste of the product, and different functions can be prepared the use of a functional protein product. Products rich small proteins, peptides, carnosine, amino acids, nucleotides, vitamins and trace elements, can be widely used spices, nutraceuticals, functional foods and so on.


This study compared faculty and employer ratings in the areas of non-technical employment qualities and attitudinal characteristics of co-op education students in the western region of the country. The influence selected demographic characteristics have upon faculty and employer responses was also examined. Faculty members and employers defined as supportive of coopera-tive education were surveyed in the Spring of 1981 using a survey devel-oped at Utah State University. For this study, the reliability of the survey instrument was found to be .791. A Chi-Square Test of Indepen-dence was utilized to analyze the data. All eight hypotheses were tested at the .05 level of significance. When looking at faculty or employer affiliation, eight non-technical employment qualities were found significant. These were: show enthusiasm for the tasks to be performed; have positive self-concept and be self-confident; demonstrate motivation to achieve on the job; show initiative to perform on the job; react constructively to con-flict situations with customers/clients or other employees; create a positive first impression when meeting others; and cope with change and new procedures on the job. For time affiliated with the program, three faculty ratings of non-technical employement qualities were found sig-nificant: follow instructions which are given; take criticism when shown what has been done incorrectly; and support the concept of the free enterprise system. The employer rating found significant was: use the telephone in a businesslike manner. The investigation of faculty members' ratings of non-technical employment qualities as re-lated to discipline found nine ratings significant. In looking at ratings according to longevity of the co-op program, seven faculty ratings and one employer rating were found significant. An examination of ratings of attitudinal characteristics according to affiliation found eleven of the 30 characteristics significant. These were: adaptable, ambitious, courageous, courteous, honest, humorous, intel-lectual, loyal, persistent, people-oriented, and sociable. In examining time affiliated with the program, the two faculty ratings of ambitious and religious were found significant while employers' rating of inde-pendent was found significant. The investigation of faculty members' ratings as related to discipline area found 21 attitudinal character-istics significant. In looking at ratings according to longevity of the co-op program, four faculty ratings and three employer ratings were found significant.


It is imperative that industry-academia collaboration activities are implemented successfully to achieve open innovation, and such awareness has grown in recent years. Private companies and universities are organizations with very different purposes and characteristics; it is therefore generally difficult for them to cooperate with each other. We focused on industry-academia collaboration activities and factors influencing them in private universities. This study aims to reveal which factors influence industry-academia collaboration activities in private universities and to what extent. Based on the case of Japanese private universities, the data on industry-academia collaboration activities and candidates for influencing factors of 136 private universities, including 62 private universities with engineering faculties, were collected, and individual and comprehensive relationships were analyzed. As a result, the positive factors influencing the 136 universities and 62 universities were identified as follows: number of graduate students, and number of research papers or amount for grants-in-aid for scientific research. On the other hand, the negative factor influencing the 62 universities was number of undergraduate students. Consequently, it is necessary to expand graduate schools, reinforce basic research, and increase the number of researchers corresponding to the number of undergraduate students. We hope these results are useful for considering university management and for planning policy measures.


Monotone noises at high decibels have been identified as a main cause of degradation in people's mental health. This paper proposes a directional monotone noise reduction method to suppress spatially localized single-frequency noises. The system is designed based on a feedforward active noise control (ANC) structure by implementing filtered-x least mean square (FxLMS) algorithms. Compared with traditional ANC methods, our system employs a parametric array loudspeaker (PAL) as the active noise-canceling source with high audio directivity for directional noise suppression. The system monitors the ambient monotone noise and implements the ANC algorithm in real-time through a software-based platform operating on a generic personal computer (PC). Experimental measurements demonstrate an 8dB reduction of different monotone noises at a 260cm distance from the active source. Compared with traditional ANC methods with a voice coil loudspeaker (VCL) as the noise-canceling source, our PAL-based system achieves similar noise suppression performance with a 5.8 times improvement in the source-to-target distance and 64% reduction in the −3dB audio main lobe beam width. The results prove the advantage of introducing PALs as active-noise-canceling sources for monotone noise suppression with a cost-effective enhancement in operating distances and noise control directivities.


A series of 4-(para-substituted phenyl)-1,2,3-selenadiazole adducts of [VO(acac)2] were studied by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The 4-(para-substituted phenyl)-1,2,3-selenadiazole molecules have been selected to be bound with vanadium atom in [VO(acac)2] through Se, N2 and N3. The resulting adducts have been investigated in two geometries (cis and trans) in order to show the effect of such structural change on the electronic properties of the studied adducts. The optimized geometries, (binding and reorganization) energies and the spatial distribution of the highest molecular orbital (HOMO) and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) of the adducts are presented and discussed.


Calculating accurate distance from an accelerometer during motion involves integrating its raw data and it has been well-established that when the motion is imparted by humans, consumer-grade MEMS accelerometers are rendered unsuitable for this task due to their high error-profiles even for short-interval applications. This work presents 'EMeasure', a step towards addressing this problem with a completely sensor-agnostic and elegantly accurate error-mitigating model using temporal parameters for modeling the cumulated error in acceleration and velocity, yielding accurate distance. Inherent gravity is removed using a novel latency-free method using a gyroscope. The method has been tested on stand-alone MEMS sensor boards and multiple smart devices, in both phone and wrist-watch form factor with varied IMU sensor sets. Lengths up to 5 m have been measured with a mean measurement error of less than 3 cm. As a demo, we introduce EMeasure as an immensely useful and highly accurate length-measuring utility both on smartphones and smartwatches.


A field test was made in Red Lion, New Jersey, to compare effectiveness of Terramycin® and ethylene oxide against European foulbrood disease. Both Terramycin and ethylene oxide reduced the severity of the disease, but neither completely prevented recurrence. The relative populations of colonies established in equipment fumigated with ethylene oxide were larger than the populations in either the untreated controls or the colony fed Terramycin.


Object There is wide regional variability in the volume of procedures performed for similar surgical patients throughout the United States. We investigated the association of the intensity of neurosurgical care (defined as the average annual number of neurosurgical procedures per capita) with mortality, length of stay (LOS), and rate of unfavorable discharge for inpatients after neurosurgical procedures. Methods We performed a retrospective cohort study involving the 202,518 patients who underwent cranial neurosurgical procedures from 2005–2010 and were registered in the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database. Regression techniques were used to investigate the association of the average intensity of neurosurgical care with the average mortality, LOS, and rate of unfavorable discharge. Results The inpatient neurosurgical mortality, rate of unfavorable discharge, and average LOS varied significantly among several states. In a multivariate analysis male gender, coverage by Medicaid, and minority racial status were associated with increased mortality, rate of unfavorable discharge, and LOS. The opposite was true for coverage by private insurance, higher income, fewer comorbidities and small hospital size. There was no correlation of the intensity of neurosurgical care with the mortality (Pearson's ρ = −0.18, P = 0.29), rate of unfavorable discharge (Pearson's ρ = 0.08, P = 0.62), and LOS of cranial neurosurgical procedures (Pearson's ρ = −0.21, P = 0.22). Conclusions We observed significant disparities in mortality, LOS, and rate of unfavorable discharge for cranial neurosurgical procedures in the United States. Increased intensity of neurosurgical care was not associated with improved outcomes.


A higher-order finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) scheme with fourth order in space is studied for the solution of the Maxwell equations in the time domain and the three dimensional fourth-order difference formulas are obtained. The numerical dispersion characteristics of the higher-order FDTD (2,4) are analyzed in detail. Perfectly matched layer (PML) is carried out effectively in the calculation of the microstrip antenna. Numerical results show that the higher-order FDTD (2,4) scheme can reduce numerical dispersion and phase velocity errors. Computation complexity and memory requirements can be reduced, and the frequency bands to be calculated are extended.


(107) Glioma of the Left Frontal Lobe. OBICI (I Policlinico, June 15th, 1895) reports the case of a woman, aged 35. who first began to suffer from left frontal headache, nausea, and vomiting in 1887. The pain lasted some hours and kept her in bed. In 1889 she suffered from convulsive attacks coming on chiefly, at night, setting in with sudden unconsciousness and without any aura. The convulsions were general in type, the head and eyes generally turned to the right. In 1890 a relative improvement took place, but in 1891 the symptoms returned more severely, and she then complained of deficient sight; the memory and attention were also weakened. In the early months of 1892 she had right facial paralysis with hemiparesis of the right side, chiefly affecting the arm, the muscles of which were in a state of hypertonicity. The headache was more continuous and more diffuse. Almost complete anosmia and amaurosis. There was atrophy of the optic disc. Hearing and taste normal. Voice and phonation unaltered, but amnesic aphasia and paraphasia were present. There was no history of syphilis, cancer, or tubercle. The patient was operated on in September, 1893, and a large glioma found in the region of the second left frontal convolution. The growth was removed at a second operation eight days after the first. Forsome time the patient seemed relieved by the removal, but had a good deal of trouble from an extensive cerebral hernia. She left the hospital in March, 1894, and died in November of the same year with abscess in the site of the operation.


BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE NO produced by endothelial NOS is needed for normal vascular function. During diabetes, aging and hypertension, elevated levels of arginase can compete with NOS for available l‐arginine, reducing NO and increasing superoxide (O2.−) production via NOS uncoupling. Elevated O2.− combines with NO to form peroxynitrite (ONOO‐), further reducing NO. Oxidative species increase arginase activity, but the mechanism(s) involved are not known. Our study determined the mechanism involved in peroxynitrite and hydrogen peroxide‐induced enhancement in endothelial arginase activity. We hypothesized that oxidative species increase arginase activity through PKC‐activated RhoA/Rho kinase (ROCK) pathway.


Abstract The performance degradation of GaAs multi quantum well solar cells (MQWSCs) has been studied using 2 MeV proton irradiation with fluences from 3×109 to 2x1013 p/cm2. The results have shown that the spectral response of MQWSCs clearly reduces in the short wavelength side after the proton irradiation, and the experimentally determined absolute ΔV ∝ loss was found to be a good match to a model which describes the absolute ΔV ∝. The cells are seen to display good irradiation tolerance for the degradation rate of the Pmax under the irradiation with a high fluence of 3x1011 p/cm2 being only 25%.


A new fault diagnosis algorithm is proposed called adversarial domain adaptation for transfer fault diagnosis of roller bearings based on multi-MMD alignment, which is abbreviated ADA-MMA, It is designed to solve the problem that the different sample distribution caused unsatisfactory diagnosis effect due to the variable rotation speed under real conditions. ADA-MMA makes the model continuously learn and optimize through the adversarial mechanism of feature extractor and domain classifier. In order to prevent the negative transfer caused by the sample differences in the process of confrontation, multi-layer MMD was added in the feature extraction stage to further align the target domain features with the source domain features. The experimental results show that the model can solve the difficulties in the current fault diagnosis and has good robustness and diagnostic accuracy.


We have developed a novel integration scheme for FCRAM cores using a high-dielectric capacitor technology and low-temperature process technology so we can scale the design rule towards 0.13 pm and improve device performance. Ru/Ta 2 O 5 /Ru capacitor technology, which can provide a dielectric constant as high as 70 and an SiO 2 -equivalent thickness of 0.7 nm, has been established combined with a robust cylinder electrode fabrication process using a TiN liner. A self-aligned storage-node contact fabrication process with low-temperature (600°C) Si 3 N 4 deposition improves the transistor performance by more than 10%. These technologies have been applied to a 0.13 μm-generation device, and the functionality of this device has been confirmed. Also, this paper demonstrates the scalability of these technologies to the 0.1 pm generation.


To the Editor: We read with great interest the recent study by Liberman et al, investigating the rate of cerebral vein thrombosis (CVT) misdiagnosis and exploring whether CVT misdiagnosis was associated with adverse clinical outcomes. The authors identified 5966 patients with CVT in whom 216 (3.6%; 95% CI, 1.1%–4.1%) had probable CVT misdiagnosis. Probable CVT misdiagnosis was not associated with in-hospital mortality (0.14; 95% CI, 0.02–1.05), intracerebral hemorrhage (0.97; 95% CI, 0.57–1.65), or unfavorable discharge disposition (0.90; 95% CI, 0.61–1.32); but a longer length of hospital stay was seen among patients with probable CVT misdiagnosis (1.62; 95% CI, 1.04–2.50). A confirmatory study was performed in 134 patients with CVT in whom 8 patients were misdiagnosed with CVT (6.0%; 95% CI, 2.6%–11.4%), but probable CVT misdiagnosis was not associated with an unfavorable discharge modified Rankin Scale. We commend the authors for their work. However, a few of the results warrant closer inspection. The symptomatology of CVT can be explained by 2 pathophysiological mechanisms: thrombosis of the major cerebral venous sinuses and thrombosis of the cortical veins. Occlusion of the major cerebral sinuses blocks the drainage of cerebrospinal fluid, which results in increased intracranial pressure and frequently presents with headache. Occlusion of cortical veins has frequently been demonstrated to cause parenchymal lesions and presents with seizures and neurological deficits. Therefore, the clinical manifestations of CVT vary among patients with different thrombosis locations. When comparing adverse clinical outcomes, it might be better to take the location of thrombosis into consideration. Additionally, in this study, a probable CVT misdiagnosis was made based on the occurrence of headache or seizure, whether the concurrent presence of neurological deficits or other clinical manifestations (eg, vomiting or vision loss) had influence on the diagnosis of CVT was not reported. Furthermore, the likelihood of CVT misdiagnosis varies among patients with occlusion of cortical veins and cerebral sinuses; in patients with isolated cortical vein thrombosis, the diagnosis of CVT is more difficult, and some patients are only diagnosed at autopsy. Liberman et al reported that only 216 cases had a probable CVT misdiagnosis. Further information on the location of thrombosis in these patients might be helpful for the understanding of the rate of CVT misdiagnosis. Unlike those with arterial occlusion, most patients recover from CVT without physical disability, but many of them still experience residual chronic symptoms. Therefore, it might be not a good choice to use modified Rankin Scale for the assessment of clinical prognosis in these patients. As the authors stated in the article, assessment of visual fields, visual acuity, and cognitive changes are needed. Additionally, previous studies found that ≈50% patients reported headache and 14% required bed rest or hospital admission because of severe headache. Therefore, headache might also be useful to quantify the clinical effects of misdiagnosis. Take all together, we would like to congratulate the authors for their meaningful study. However, we suggest further analysis of data based on the location of thrombosis and consideration of the concurrent presence of other manifestations. In addition to physical disability, headache should be assessed to quantify the clinical effects of misdiagnosis.


The invention relates to a steam-press air-entrainment concrete self-heat conserving building block by using sand of Yellow River, which comprises the Yellow River sand and waste fly ash after the coal is burned in a power plant; the concrete self-heat conserving building block comprises the following components by weight percentage: 55-63% of the Yellow River sand, 5-16% of fly ash, 12.5-15% of quicklime, 2.5-3.0% of slaked lime, 1.0-2.0% of desulfurized gypsum, 0.08-0.12% of aluminum powder paste, 0.02-0.04% of foam stabilizer and the balance of cement. The building block takes the cheap Yellow River sand as a raw material, and has the advantages of light unit weight, strong processability, low heat conduction coefficient and good self-heat conserving effect.